1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to an appliance for exerting forces on a breast which has undergone Mastectomy and/or contains a surgical implant to change the attitude of projection of the breast and its position.
2. Prior Art.
In the past few years techniques have been developed for surgically removing cancer of the breast without removing the entire breast. Other techniques involve removal of the breast and tumor through a single incision and then insertion of an implant through the same incision. Often the implant is inserted under the patient's pectoral muscle by extending the Mastectomy incision. This provides muscular support for the implant and its protection so that the reconstructed breast thus has a contour approximating that of the original breast.
The forces exerted by the pectoral muscle on these reconstructions can cause the implanted breast to project somewhat higher and closer to the arm than the original breast or the natural, unoperated breast. This misalignment may be sufficiently pronounced to produce a distinctly unnatural appearance which can't be effectively corrected through use of a conventional brassiere. While various forms of corrective brassieres are commercially available, the forces that they apply to the breast will not rectify this misalignment of surgically reconstructed breasts.